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Dodge County kicks off administration building master plan; facilities director details repairs, policies and downtown property work
Summary
The county began a master plan process with Venture Architects and the Samuels Group aiming for a September presentation; facilities staff described painting policy, recent repairs, energy-saving pump replacements, staffing changes and downtown building work.
Dodge County staff said they held a kickoff meeting for an administration building master plan and reported multiple ongoing facilities projects and policy updates.
Facilities Director John told the committee that Venture Architects and the Samuels Group met with staff to begin the master plan and conduct tours; the consultant teams will begin department-head interviews and additional building tours. John said the revised project timeline aims for a county board presentation in September. "Their new timeline will be for September county board meeting," he said.
John also described a forthcoming formal painting policy after a recent request from the district attorney's office to repaint certain rooms. He said the department will not allow ad hoc color changes and will bring a written policy to the committee. "Otherwise, you're gonna end up with 10 different colors in the courts," John said, explaining the need for a standard approach.
Staff reported several maintenance projects completed or underway: ductwork for air handler 5 is finished pending a few contractor items; courthouse stairwell railings were refinished after 24 years of wear; the court security desk veneer was repaired and restained; and technicians regrouted first-floor terrazzo tiles where grout had failed. John credited in-house staff and contractors for the work and said the first-floor corridors look much improved.
John described a mechanical upgrade replacing a single main circulating pump with two smaller pumps to reduce flow and wear. "It took our velocity down from 23, gallons a minute down to about 5," he said, adding that the two pumps are programmable and have reduced runtime from 24 hours a day to roughly 13–14 hours, saving utilities and reducing strain on piping.
Other updates: the county handed out a phone-usage policy to staff covering personal phones, smart watches and earbuds; the facilities department is working with the housing authority to explore relocating its offices into space in the administration building and will meet with the authority and IT to discuss networking and phone needs; two new facilities hires will start next week to cover recent retirements; plaza work on the south side of the building is under way; the county secured several downtown Lowell buildings taken for back taxes and will open bids next week; and contractors working on the Miller Street paving project unexpectedly had to excavate deeper than planned, temporarily removing the courthouse handicap parking stall and requiring alternate arrangements for accessible entry.
Committee members asked about the handicap parking closure and temporary accommodations; staff said contractors hoped to reopen the stall quickly but encountered unanticipated subsurface conditions that extended the closure. No formal committee action was taken on these items; supervisors received the updates and asked staff to continue coordinating with contractors and affected departments.
